Express & Star

Shops get ready for big Christmas rush

Shopping centres and high streets across the Black Country and Staffordshire were today bracing themselves for what experts predict could be the busiest shopping day of the pre-Christmas rush.

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Shopping centres and high streets across the Black Country and Staffordshire were today bracing themselves for what experts predict could be the busiest shopping day of the pre-Christmas rush.

Hundreds of thousands of shoppers are set to hit the shops tomorrow. Extra security guards and cleaners are being put in place at Wolverhampton's Mander Centre to cope with the crowds. The impending change in the weather is believed to be driving more people to get their shopping done earlier.

The peak shopping time is expected to be around 2.30pm. Nicholas Pitt, manager of the Mander Centre, said: "I think we will get anywhere between 70 and 80,000 people, which is running pretty level with last year. We will have extra security and cleaners on Saturday."

Around 220,000 people are expected to flood through the doors of Birmingham's Bullring Centre.

General manager Tim Whalley said: "We expect in the region of 220,000 shoppers to visit Bullring tomorrow, with a further 120,000 expected on Sunday.

"Last week we saw an 8.5 per cent increase in the amount of shoppers that visited the centre, topping just over one million in seven days."

Spokeswoman at the Merry Hill Centre in Brierley Hill, Kelly Reed, said: "We are anticipating a very busy weekend as the weather has turned colder, which is making people feel the pressure, if they haven't already, to start their Christmas shop."

Meanwhile, bosses at Cannock Shopping Centre said they are staging some seasonal events to tempt shoppers in including a competition to find gold stars hidden around the centre.

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